1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for selecting and/or producing automation hardware. In particular, the present invention relates to a method, which automatically supports the selection of appropriate automation hardware, i.e., automation hardware that is suitable for a technical process to be controlled and/or monitored.
2. Description of Related Art
The generic term automation hardware, as used hereinafter, denotes any type of hardware suitable for controlling and/or monitoring a technical process. For example, automation hardware may include intelligent control devices such as process computers, stored program controllers or decentralized peripheral devices, etc., and input and/or output modules for such computers, controllers or peripheral devices, which are configured to connect to digital or analog inputs or outputs of the technical process.
The term automation hardware may further include connection means such as bus interfaces, bus connections, etc. for communicatively connecting the above described devices to each other. The term automation hardware may further include functional units, e.g., controllers and motor controls, such as frequency converters, speed monitors, limit monitors, etc.
Finally, the term automation hardware may also include the direct process peripherals, i.e., devices such as switches, probes, limit switches (mechanical, inductive or capacitive), photoelectric barriers, etc., which are provided and adapted to detect states of the controlled and/or monitored technical process, and devices such as valves, motors, lighting means, etc., which are provided and adapted for influencing the technical process.
The devices listed above are provided by way of example only. As a whole, these exemplary devices listed above as well as other functionally equivalent devices or other devices known in the automation environment of technical processes are hereinafter referred to as “automation hardware”. Moreover, individual devices from this spectrum, e.g., a stored program controller or a decentralized peripheral device, a sensor or an actuator, such as a switch or a motor, are hereinafter referred to as an “automation component” or an “automation device”.
Today, automation hardware is manually selected by experienced and knowledgeable specialists who are entrusted with such tasks. These specialists are usually familiar with the product spectrum of the individual automation hardware suppliers. For example, the specialists acquire their knowledge of the product spectrum of the individual hardware suppliers from past automation projects and the resulting automation solutions. That is, the specialists acquire their knowledge based on the use of specific automation hardware to control and/or monitor a specific technical process using specific control software. Using this knowledge about the individual automation components, the respective specialist selects the components that, in his or her view, are best suited for the task.
A disadvantage of this known procedure, however, is that the knowledge of the respective specialist about the available automation hardware as a whole is limited. The decision in favor or against a specific automation component is possibly influenced more by whether the specialist knows the component than by factual-technical considerations such as optimal suitability for the corresponding automation task or automation sub-task. Furthermore, even extensive technical knowledge of the respective specialist can not fully consider all possible mutual dependencies of individual automation components. Even if special detailed knowledge about the supply spectrum of many different automation hardware suppliers enable a specialist to select optimal components of a first supplier for a first automation sub-task and optimal components of a second supplier for a second automation sub-task, a significant problem may arise when automation components of two different suppliers are used together. The components may not be compatible, and providing suitable interfaces for these components may be disproportionately costly.